[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Because of England’s possible involvement in the World Cup semi final on Wednesday, Darlington and Sunderland have agreed to switch the friendly from Wednesday night to the night before, Tuesday (10th July), kick off 7.30pm at Blackwell Meadows. Sunderland will be sending their full first team squad, which includes all of their new signings.Tickets for the game are on sale in Quaker Retail until Friday evening, and also on line here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/dfcsg

We’d like to thank Sunderland and the Rugby Club for their understanding and co-operation.(And it’s not very often that a former Darlo player, albeit on loan at the time, reaches the World Cup quarter finals. Congratulations to Jordan Pickford!)This will be our second pre season friendly, as we are playing Motherwell on Sunday afternoon, kick off 3pm at Blackwell Meadows.

Last edited by cyprussyd on 2018-07-10, 9:20 pm; edited 3 times in total

Tickets for tomorrow’s game against Darlington (KO 7.30pm) at Blackwell Meadows are no longer available via the ticket office.Cash turnstiles will be operation at the stadiumon the night of the game, as Jack Ross takes charge of the Lads for the first time. Tickets are priced at £10 for adults, £8 for concessions, £5 for under-16s and under-11s are free when purchased with an adult ticket (one per transaction).The game will be segregated, and Sunderland fans will enter via the away turnstiles at the west of the ground.Please note that away fans will not have access to the bar areas and Blackwell Meadows is a no smoking/vaping ground.

Aiden McGeady has been ruled out Sunderland’s upcoming games due to injury.The winger, who suffered the blow while building his fitness prior to pre-season, has been unable to take part in training so far, with Jack Ross admitting all parties will have to be patient while the injury settles down.Meanwhile, new signing Jon McLaughlin is a doubt for the Lads’ trip to Darlington on Tuesday evening as the club’s pre-season schedule finally kicks in.Speaking to safc.com, Ross explained that while there’s no cause for concern, there is nothing to gain from taking a risk.“Aiden hasn’t managed to take part in any of pre-season because he picked up an injury before he came back while he was doing some work on his own.“He hasn’t really improved which has been to his frustration because he’s not been able to get out on the pitch.”He continued: “He’s still unavailable at the moment and probably will be for the next couple of weeks until it settles down.“Jon McLaughlin could potentially miss the game [against Darlington] because he’s had a wee niggle in his groin today, so we may leave him tomorrow.“We have Max and Robbin, though, and other than that we should be okay.”

Sunderland’s 2018-19 preparations will crank up a notch on Tuesday evening when they take on Darlington at Blackwell Meadows (KO 7.30).The Lads have been back in training for over a week, with Jack Ross and his backroom team putting them through their paces during a week-long training camp in Portugal.Throughout the trip, the players were pushed to their limits with two sessions per day building a solid foundation that will form the basis for their fitness throughout the campaign.The training camp was rounded off with an intense exercise against Dundee, with Tuesday’s game serving as a natural progression as the Lads cross the white line for the first time.Aiden McGeady won't feature at Blackwell Meadows, while Jon McLaughlin could also miss out.While Sunderland will be playing their first game, Darlington will be looking to build after opening their pre-season schedule against Motherwell on Sunday.The Quakers were well beaten by the Steelmen, but the SPL side’s preparations are at a far more advanced stage and they will play their first competitive game on Saturday.Darlo enjoyed a solid 2017-18 campaign, finishing eighth in National League North and just eight points adrift of the play-off places.TICKETSTickets for tomorrow’s game are no longer available via the ticket office, but cash turnstiles will be operation.Tickets are priced at £10 for adults, £8 for concessions, £5 for under-16s and under-11s are free when purchased with an adult ticket (one per transaction).The game will be segregated, and Sunderland fans will enter via the away turnstiles at the west of the ground.Please note that away fans will not have access to the bar areas and Blackwell Meadows is a no smoking/vaping ground.Hot and cold food and drinks will be available to purchase.On-site parking is very limited, however parking is available in Darlington town centre which is a short walk away along Grange Road.HOW TO FOLLOWLive updates will be available by following @SunderlandAFC on Twitter and reaction will be available on safc.com.Audio commentary for our pre-season games will be available starting on Saturday against Hartlepool United.

4' Josef Wheatley looks like he's about to break through on goal, but further astute defending from James ends another Darlington attack. The left-back has made a cracking start to the game and he's just engineered the first Sunderland attack, finding Maguire before the play is switched and Molyneux’s effort is blocked.

17' A stunning passage of play ends in defensive heroics, as Trotman somehow manages to head Ozturk's inventive effort to safety. The ball dropped in the box and the defender swivelled on a six-pence before curling an effort towards the top corner, but Trotman was in the right place at the right time to clear off the line.

37' Sunderland having some joy down the right flank as Molyneux and then Robson test the full-back, but on each occasion Darlo clear and come through unscathed. The Lads are starting to shift through the gears and they are ending the opening 45 on top...

52' Powerful play from Forrester crafts an opening but after sending it wide, Bali Mumba's connection with the cross is cleared off the line. Seconds later, Flanagan attempts to turn on the edge of his own box and Styche's dinked finish came back off the post. A real let-off.

70' Sunderland still enjoying more of the ball but not doing a great deal with it. Andrew Nelson is putting in a real shift up top alongside Maja, but the latter is yet to get a feel for the game. The Lads need a chance, as with fresh legs you'd back them to take it.

83' Andrew Nelson is inches away from scoring a sensational equaliser! The tireless forward slide in on the byline and somehow kept the ball in play, before slamming an effort across the face of goal and inches wide. That was an absolute rocket, and desperately unlucky!

Jack Ross' tenure started with a narrow defeat as an early goal for Jordan Nicholson secured victory for Darlington.

The Black Cats, naming four new signings and trialist Anton Forrester in their starting XI, made a slow start and were punished within ten minutes. They were fortunate to escape when Josef Wheatley advanced on goal, Reece James recovering just in time to block his effort. There was no such escape minutes later when debutant Alim Ozturk dithered on the ball. Nicholson nipped in and had an easy finish as he fired across Robbin Ruiter. Ozturk came close to equalising soon after when a corner was headed back across the Darlington goal. The Turk turned on his heels and stuck a half volley goalbound, denied only be the head of Luke Trotman on the line. 8 Key Things To Sort Out Before Travelling This Summer 8 Key Things To Sort Out Before Travelling This Summer Welcome to the Flexicover blog! We’ll keep you updated with travel news, tips and items from around the world to pique your interest and ... Promoted by Flexicover Travel Cent... A lively debut for the 25-year-old came to a close on the half hour mark as he was replaced by Donald Love, heading straight to the changing rooms for treatment. Sunderland did finish the half on top, with Luke Molyneux and Adam Matthews firing over from range. Lee Cattermole came closest, heading onto the far post from a Black Cats corner. They upped the tempo again in the second half, though Darlington almost caught them on the break when Tom Flanagan was left exposed and outnumbered by his team. Reece Styche, who caused Ozturk so many problems in the opening minutes, took the ball and was unfortunate to see his delicate effort strike the post. Sunderland were controlling the possession but creating little, rarely able to open up the hosts. As expected, Jack Ross made wholesale changes on the hour mark, switching to a 4-4-2 as Dylan McGeouch came on to make his debut. That burst the game wide open, Sunderland's wingers (Gooch and McManaman) hugging the byline and stretching the play. Josh Maja twice went close to equalising, first firing over the bar and then hitting the woodwork as the ball dropped kindly in the box. Darlington maintained a threat on the break, with Max Stryjek doing well to deny Harvey Saunders from close range. Dominic Collins then went close from a corner, his headed blocked by Dylan McGeouch on the line. Maja drew more saves from Jonathan Maddison in the closing stages but the hosts held on for the win. Sunderland (first 60): Ruiter; Matthews, Ozturk (Love, 31), Flanagan, James; Cattermole, Mumba, Robson; Molyneux, Maguire; Forrester Sunderland (last 30): Stryjek; Love, Matthews, Taylor, Hume; McGeouch, Honeyman, Gooch, McManaman; Maja, Nelson Attendance: 1,306